A late St Patrick’s Day Dinner, a little Guinness, a little Green from the black & white.

I don’t usually go in big for St Patrick’s Day, although there are some Quigleys on my father’s side of the family from way back. As a kid in school I’d wear something green but generally the day passes as any other. I came upon a recipe for St Patrick’s Day the other week…. Irish Chop Suey of all things! I am reluctant to admit this but I now read our local newspaper more than I ever have. Since I am caregiver for my mother I sit with her and flip through the paper, do the crossword puzzle and regularly solve SUDOKU. A little exercise for my brain, it’s easier than forcing myself to wade through old algebra books! The recipe uses egg noodles, ground beef and Guinness among a few other basic ingredients. Guinness is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide. News to me! It’s brewed in nearly 60 countries and can be found in over 100. An unlikely pairing, so much so that I decided to give it a go.

As does happen in our family, a holiday, event or even a birthday sometimes is celebrated or acknowledged after the fact! You know, busy schedules, conflicts, etc! Hence, I bought the Guinness and egg noodles over the weekend and whipped up this dish tonight. The noodles are cooked in the brew and the liquid from the noodles is used in the sauce. It came together quickly but I realized the Guinness imparted a bitter taste ( a feature of the brew is the burnt flavor derived from roasted unmalted barley) to the noodles as well as the meat sauce so I was leery about the outcome. I admit I added a tsp or so of sugar to the sauce to counteract the Guinness. Here is the final product. I am not sure I will do this again, unless as my husband suggested, we skip the Guinness!

Irish Chop Suey 6 Servings

6 – 12 oz bottles Guinness

1 # package wide egg noodles

1 1/2# 90% lean ground beef

1 large yellow onion minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp flour

1 tbsp brown mustard

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dries thyme

salt & pepper to taste

3 scallions, chopped for garnish ( white & green parts) I used chopped green pepper since I didn’t have scallions!

In large stockpot bring Guinness to boil. Add egg noodles cook till al dente according to pkg directions. Drain noodles, but reserve 3 cups of Guinness liquid ( add water if needed to bring up to 3 cups). Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onions, garlic and ground beef till browned and cooked through bout 10 minutes. Add the flour, stir to coat. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and reserved Guinness liquid. Cook for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt & pepper. You may need to add a bit of sugar! Add noodles, serve & top with scallions ( peppers! ).